NEW DELHI: During a recent UK visit, CBI officials recorded statements of key witnesses, including bankers, chartered accountants and lawyers whose names were provided by C Sivsankaran, in his written complaint against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, for his alleged role in the 2006 Aircel-Maxis deal. Maran is currently Union textile minister.Sivsankaran, a billionaire businessman, alleged that he was armtwisted by Maran, when the later was telecom minister from 2004 to 2007, into selling his telecom company Aircel to the Singapore-based Maxis group owned by T Ananda Krishnan, a friend of Maran’s.In his written complaint to the CBI, he had listed about 10 witnesses, based in London and Singapore, who could corroborate his allegations that he was ‘forced’ to sell Aircel. He had alleged that despite having better offers, he had to sell Aircel to Maxis at a low price.CBI sources said that all the witnesses had been involved in doing the due diligence on Aircel’s behalf during the negotiations to sell the company to Maxis in March 2006. The witnesses had handled Aircel’s negotiations with other suitors and were well-versed with it’s valuations and pricing.The CBI, however, is not disclosing details of these witness statements. Officials will soon make a similar trip to Singapore to record witness statements there.The CBI team had gone to UK along with Enforcement Directorate officials on June 12 and returned on June 19. The Indian High Commissioner coordinated its meetings and the recording of witness statements.CBI spokesperson Dharini Mishra said: “We are in the process of verifying Sivasankran’s complaints. It is a fact that he had had given names of witnesses living abroad.”A senior CBI official indicated that after verifying Sivasankran’s complaints, the details would be placed before the Prime Minister’s Officeto obtain permission to prosecute Maran as he is a sitting Cabinet minister.Earlier the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, the NGO behind the Supreme Court’s decision to monitor the 2G scam probe, moved an application before the apex court on June 1 requesting permission to submit documents establishing Maran’s role in the Maxis-Aircel deal.
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